Deepanjan Nag's Magnum Opus

The new Google Reader is finally here! I’m loving the new look. The wait almost killed me!

I need my blog more than ever. I’m mostly jettisoning Twitter.

It’s 27 years since Indira Gandhi was assassinated. I have fuzzy recollections of a confused self amused at the sudden communal tension that surrounded us, even in the otherwise peaceful neighborhood of Telco Colony. I understood that Mrs.Gandhi was assassinated by two of her own body-guards. What I didn’t understand was how could all the Sikhs be held responsible for it. As I grew older and my understanding of worldly ways increased, I began to see how the blame fell squarely on an entire community. Sick though the realization was, it was a fact hard to reconcile with…and it remains so to this day. Mrs.Gandhi had a domineering influence on the Indian media. Open the newspaper and you would almost certainly see a photo of hers hogging the front page, her stylish image instilling pride in us. Mrs.Gandhi was definitely charismatic, and one of the most recognized leaders in the world of her day. This in spite of leading only a 3rd world country lost in the deluge of irrelevance. I remembe

The new Google Reader was supposed to happen this week. Whatever happened?

An entire day wasted.

I wish this institute existed when I was a school-goer. Would have loved to be a part of it.

Miss u, Dad.

Time is nature’s way of keeping things from happening all at once.

eulogized Jobs as “the pioneer of the computer as a jail made cool, designed to sever fools from their freedom.” Richard Stallman has always been a maverick, and I deeply respect him for his intellect and views. I am sure he would consider Gates a saint when compared to Jobs!

Man creates music Man wages war

I used to call him the Indian Jim Reeves. Though his inimitable style diluted traditional Ghazal heavily, there can be no denying that he has left behind an indelible mark. I remember hearing him for the first time as a kid and mistaking him for another legend, Ghulam Ali. Dad corrected me. Seems like yesterday. Deeply saddened by his departure.

Gotta learn how to download binaries from the Usenet. This thing is turning out to be rather confusing.

Apparently, there is no dearth of people who don’t know the difference between science and commerce. These are people who call Jobs a modern day Edison.

I’m a dedicated TechCrunch reader. This, in spite of TIME (or was it something else of equally high repute) ranking it as one of the most over-glorified blogs. TechCrunch doesn’t talk often about development platforms, which is why it was pleasantly surprising when it reported “ Tech Job Site Dice Reports Shortage Of .NET Developers .” One of the reasons for the possible shortage has been attributed to the fear that if people specialize in .NET development, they won’t be able to branch out to other platforms. I can identity with the sentiment. As the devices connected to the Internet get more varied with diverse platforms, open source is best equipped to bring in innovations to its fold. .NET, being proprietary, leaves its developers out in the cold. Windows 8 is moving in the right direction with its heavy emphasis on CSS3, HTML5 and Javascript. .NET must somehow reinvent itself to protect its relevance in the brave new omni-connected world.

Google Chrome 14 seems to be a severe resource hog. Each time I use it, the rest of the system seems to grind to a halt. I was never convinced with the view that using independent processes instead of threads was a better idea to keep the browser components running smoothly. It seemed regressive then. It seems regressive now more than ever. Firefox, on the other hand, seems to have put its reputation as a resource hog well behind it. The latest version seems to be leaner and meaner than ever. Best of all, they have stuck to their guns and continue to rely of threads instead of processes. The memory load has been most impressive and a recent browser comparison put Firefox well ahead of all its competitors. Perhaps it’s time Google learned a thing or two from its free-spirited cousin!

Enjoyed the movie.

Cultural Events VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I’ve seldom been in awe of holy men. More often than not, they are little more than clever people who tap into our gullible side and earn an easy living out of it. Vivekananda is a splendid exception. Though I don’t agree with all of his ideas, most of his philosophy is generally praiseworthy. It was Vivekananda who introduced the essence of Hindu philosophy to the West, which was largely dismissive of the shrouded-in-mystery religion. It was at the Parliament of Religions that the Swami lifted the curtains off Hinduism and showed how stupendously ignorant the West had been. An article from the venerable New York Times sheds more light on the great man. I was surprised to learn how Leo Tolstoy and Igor Stravinsky were associated with his works. It just goes to prove what a small but beautiful world we live in. Life is worthy of a celebration everyday.

Celebrating Durga Puja @ Ealing Town Hall, London VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL